April 2026: Bakery Market Report
Wage increases, rising commodity prices, and increased competition are just some of the challenges facing operators in the out-of-home market.
It will be accompanied by a ranking of the top 75 companies that sell baked goods as a primary element of their food offering in a non-supermarket retail, food-to-go or eat-in format. Businesses in the list include Costa, Subway, Greggs, Cooplands, Birds Bakery, Cooplands, Gail’s, and more.
Key areas this article will explore include:
- How has the out-of-home bakery market, and its key players, performed over the past year?
- What are the firms plans for their estates? If they’re looking to expand, what strategy are they employing for this in terms of customer base, site location, type, etc?
- Is there a critical mass for coffee shops, bakeries, and cafes in the UK? And, how far away are we from reaching it?
- What are the key challenges facing operators in this market? And what tactics are firms utilising to overcome them?
- How does this differ between family-owned craft bakeries and national chains, for example?
- Which channels, such as delivery, travel, out of town, drive-thru etc, present the most opportunities for growth and why is this? What does this mean for the likes of high streets?
- How are consumers engaging with the out-of-home bakery market? What are the top occasions and types of businesses they are visiting for, and why?
- What part does coffee/hot beverages have to play in this market? How are operators changing their menus with this in mind?
- What are firms doing to improve loyalty amongst their customer bases?
- Costs have been rising across – where are the pinch points in 2026?
- What impact will the increase in National Living Wage have on these businesses?
- Looking at NPD, what are some of the top new bakery launches in this market this year? Why have they been so successful?
- What will the out-of-home market bakery look like in the future?
